Katie McGarry: Interview

Ahhhhh! Looooooooooook! 

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to interview the wonderful Young Adult author Katie McGarry. Who I’ve been a fan of ever since my friend and co-owner of Drool Worthy Books blog, introduced me to her.

Katie has just recently published ‘Take Me On’, her fourth installment to the ‘Pushing the Limits’ Series and so I got around to asking her some questions about the book, to which you can find my review on our blog.

• Why did you decide to pair West with a girl fighter?

When I first met West as a secondary character in CRASH INTO YOU, I knew that he had a short temper and got into fights easily.

In TAKE ME ON, I wanted West to fall in love with a girl who could mentally challenge him. By being an actual fighter, Haley was in a position to tell West that his temper hurts him, not helps him, and that sometimes walking away is fighting.

• You did a lot of research for ‘Crash Into You’ and ‘Take Me On’ which lead you to learn and do interesting things. Was it stuff that you thought you'd ever get the chance to experience?

For CRASH INTO YOU, I spent a lot of time at a local dragway and I even got the opportunity to go down the dragway. It was an exhilarating experience!

For TAKE ME ON, I found a local Muay Thai gym and they were fabulous enough to let me watch some of their training sessions. I eventually became bold enough to join their morning kickboxing for fitness class. It’s a bag class, but I learned how tough and fun kickboxing is.

I don’t believe I would have ever experienced either of these things if it wasn’t for the research I needed for the books.

With ‘Breaking the Rules’ coming out in Decemeber, I didn’t forget to ask some important questions there.

• Did you always plan on continuing Echo and Noah’s story?

I have always known what happened to Echo and Noah after I finished writing PUSHING THE LIMITS. I wrote PUSHING THE LIMITS as a stand-alone so I didn’t think I would get an opportunity to continue their story. When I was asked if I would consider continuing their story, I jumped at the opportunity. BREAKING THE RULES will be released on December 30, 2013. 

• What has been the most emotional book for you to write so far in the Pushing the Limits Series?

It’s a tie between DARE YOU TO and TAKE ME ON. In DARE YOU TO, I understood a lot of Beth’s hurts and there are a lot of themes in TAKE ME ON that are personal to me. Both stories required me to dig deep into places that are difficult for me to visit. 

But don’t worry guys I asked Katie the one question that’s been on all our minds ever since we met the girl in Crash Into you.

• Will we ever get the chance to read Abby’s story?

I’m not sure yet what the future is for the PUSHING THE LIMITS series. I’m crossing fingers and toes I’ll be able to write Abby’s story. 

Oh and so are we Katie, so are we! A big thank you to Katie for taking her time to answer our questions. It meant the world.

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Katie's Site 

Take Me On by Katie McGarry

The fourth installment to the Pushing the Limits series that literally just keeps getting better and better. 

"We were nothing more than actions to reactions - helpless against our own fate."

This is West and Hayley's story. West is Rachel's, from Crash Into you, older brother and Hayley is the girl that's about to teach him how to fight with his head not just his heart.

In the words of Katie McGarry West is a hot-mess and I totally love it. He has been giving everything growing up except the one thing he needed most, belonging. Hayley at the start of this book is hard to understand, you know in the past she would of said exactly what was on her mind but everything has changed since the night she was she broke.

“I'm in love with you. I'm in love with you and I don't know how to make you feel better. I'm in love with you and I shouldn't be. I'm in love with you and once you figure out who I am, you're not going to love me. I'm in love with you and I seem to fuck up the ones who love me back.”

Katie tackles many serious dilemmas in the world at the moment in this book and she really gets across the emotions in which West and Hayley experience.

West goes from having it all to living in his car, which is still better than some but it is what it is. He's homeless and he must learn to survive without having everything handed to him on a plate. I've never seen a character grow up so much in just one book. He changed from a boy to man and it was one of the best things that could of ever happened to him. 

As for Hayley she learns the true meaning to the saying 'a problem shared, is a problem halved.' The girl has so much weight on her shoulders and all she does is keep putting more and more on top of them. She used to fight, she used to love to fight. It was what could take her away from everything, but Hayley lost that the day she stopped fighting the demons inside and let them take over. So much changes for Hayley, she comes back to reality and it's one of the sweetest moments when you realize she's about to start fighting for herself again and not just the people she cares about. 

Somewhere along the line West and Hayley stopped fighting for what they wanted, what mattered. They lost there way and with each others help they will set each other back on the right path. 

West will prove to Hayley she is worth fighting for, and Hayley will prove to West he isn't just some failure. 

“You say you don’t know who you are,” adds Rachel. “But the question should be—who do you want to be?”

There is always a heart shattering moment in Katie's stories and even though all I ever want to do is keep reading I always have to stop and tell myself, "This will work out, it has too." That moment in this book was when West's father presented him with the chance to give Hayley a future except West would have to do what he wasn't sure he could. That scene broke my heart into a million pieces and god I realized that I never truly knew how much I hated the Young's parents in Crash Into you but I surely learnt how much in Take Me on. 

But while hating on two family members I fell in love with two others, Hayley's brother Kaden and cousin Jax and god if I don't get a book about either of them I may have to come to your house Katie and force you to write me one. I think someone has stolen my heart, just like Isaiah did all those books ago and that award goes to Jax. 

Even though West stood up for Hayley from the very beginning, I love that Kaden and Jax always fought for her. Yes they made mistakes, they let her evil uncle call her all sorts, they let him look down on her and treat her like shit but they did that for the right reasons. They love Hayley and Hayley loves them much more than they'll ever know, she loves them so much she gave up them up - just so they'd never have to get hurt. 

Abby had a massive role in Take Me On and I swear Katie I need that girls story. She's broken, she's a liar but all for the right reasons and she's everything I look for in a character. She deserves her own book, a book about her. Her story, her world, her mistakes, her life. She is so much more than just the drug dealer, she's a girl that just needs to be loved and a way out of the world she has made for herself. 

“I love her, West. She loves me. When you feel like that about someone, you find ways to make it work.”

Katie always seems to get my heart racing and the adrenaline pumping, by her story-lines. When Hayley was sparring with Kayden for the first time in months and West was watching I literally could feel the fear she felt running through my veins. I could feel how West wanted nothing more than to step in and protect her but I also knew deep down she needed to do this and somewhere, somehow he understood that. 

This book gets 5 out of 5 stars from me without fail. As usual I cannot fault Katie's writing or storytelling. I loved West and Hayley from beginning to end and god I would recommend this book, this series, this writer to anyone! I'd recommend you all go check out this addictive series. 

Goodread's link

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Dare you to, the second book in the outstandingly beautiful 'Pushing the Limits' series written by the very talented author Katie McGarry 

"It's our rain Beth." 

Katie's stories never fail to surprise me, her writing is beyond perfection. She could write a book about an odd sock that she found in the wash and I would probably be in tears by the end.

The first chapter of Dare you to is in Ryan's point of view, the main male character of this book. Who would of thought you'd find the love of your life in Taco Bell approaching her because of a stupid dare? 

Ryan is a sweet, kind, drool worthy jock. He eats, drinks and breathes baseball. He has never known anything else, but writing is slowly becoming part of his life and one girl is about to show him that there is much more than one path to choose in life. 

“Baseball isn't just a game. It's the smell of popcorn drifting in the air, the sight of bugs buzzing near the stadium lights,the roughness of the dirt beneath your cleats. It's the anticipation building in your chest as the anthem plays, the adrenaline rush when your bat cracks against the ball, and the surge of blood when the umpire shouts strike after you pitch. It's a team full of guys backing your every move, a bleacher full of people cheering you on. It's...life”

I fell in love with the Beth the moment we met in 'Pushing the Limits.' Her attitude was what really caught my eye. She had a nature of judging others before she had even gotten to know them because she expected others to judge right back. In some ways she reminded me of myself and I liked that. 

Beth's bad-ass attitude really shines through at the start of this book. She makes me angry, happy, sad etc. I was mad at her for a long time for the way she led Isaiah on but I learnt to live with it by the end of this book. Beth deserved more than anyone to be happy, she had had such a hard life. She just never thought herself worthy enough to find happiness and so pushed all good things in life away. Until one boy came along and showed her just how special she really was! 

“I take comfort in the stone inside of me. If I don't feel, I don't hurt.”

Ryan and Beth both overcome so much in this book. From Beth learning that she can't always be there for her mother right through to Ryan learning that his brother never did anything wrong by being gay. 

At the start of this book I was a hundred percent sure McGarry had made a mistake not letting Isaiah and Beth be together. My heart was completely shattered and I wasn't sure if I could love any other boy being with Beth but Ryan completely changed my mind. He brought out the other side of Beth, the side that she never showed anyone. He loved her and because of that she slowly started letting her walls down. I fell head over heels for Ryan and understood by the end why Isaiah and Beth couldn't be together. 

“The way he stares at me - it’s as if he doesn’t even see the outside anymore. His eyes pierce me as if he can see my soul and the thought terrifies me.” 

Many times throughout this book I found the tears streaming down my cheeks. From the intense scenes right through to the romantic scenes. We all have that series we like to tell everyone about and this is that series for me. It is much more than just addictive. This book is an emotional rollercoaster and it enchants you from page 1 all the way through to the very last page. 

It gets 5 out of 5 stars for it's beautiful story, breath-taking writing and perfect characters! 

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